He said, generally, drug dealers and drug buyers are the fuel that lights the fire of nondomestic gun crime in the city.

After a month of gun violence, the narcotics division is working extra hours targeting low- and mid-level dealers, using "resources and technology" Gerould didn't want to detail. High-level dealers are also on the city's radar, but making those cases takes more time, so immediate results are less likely, he said.

While not wanting to inform the dealers of the police strategies, Gerould said he wanted to assure the public that the investigations are continuing and results should come within weeks or months.

Often, police crackdowns in other cities will push more drug business and its ensuing violence toward Easton. That's not necessarily the case this time, Gerould said. And there hasn't necessarily been a dramatic change in the city's criminal structure, as was the case several years ago when a Bloods leader was taken down by law enforcement.

"It just appears to be the ebb and flow how crime is," the 13-year Easton veteran said. "A lot of things affect it."